Walking Tours of Historic Ipswich

36 Summer Street, the John Brocklebank house (1856)

The house at 36 Summer Street was owned by George H. Brocklebank by 1884. The Town of Ipswich street directory for 1896 shows George H. Brocklebank, a mason, living on Summer Street. He received payments for masonry and other repairs from the Town of Ipswich for two decades.

He was preceded by J. Brocklebank, who owned the house by 1872. From the Ipswich Vital Records: John Brockelbank was born in 1846 to John (a mariner) and Hannah.

From the Findagrave site: “John F. Brocklebank was born in Rowley, Mass. on Oct. 11, 1810. He married on April 4, 1833 to Hannah Kimball. His parents were John and Nancy (Harriman) Brocklebank Jr. He was born in Rowley, Mass. on Sept 5, 1784, and died in Georgetown, Mass on June 7, 1868. He married Nancy P. Harriman on Oct. 25, 1807. Nancy died in Georgetown, Mass on April 1, 1872.”

The 1877 Salem Deeds show that John Brocklebank in Ipswich released the mortgage of a house to George H. Brocklebank.

Jenny Ellsworth came into possession of this house and 38 Summer St. In 1930, Jennie Ellsworth transferred the house at 38 Summer Street to Marion McGilvary. That house stayed in the McGilvary family for two or three generations, and was inherited by Barbara Brockelbank (married to Chester Brockelbank Jr). They owned this house as well.

The Brocklebank family in Essex County traces its roots to John Brocklebank Sr. Born about 1630 in Yorkshire, England, who moved with his wife Sarah to Rowley, MA in 1657. The family name is spelled alternatively as Brocklebank or Brockelbank. Other alternative spellings are Brocklbbank, Brockelbanke, Brocklbank, and Brocklbanke.